Uber files privacy complaint over Calgary’s amended rideshare rules

The city has updated its bylaw governing taxis and ridesharing apps, but Uber says those changes violate privacy law.

Uber has lodged a formal complaint with Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, opposing Calgary’s proposed amendments to rules for rideshare companies operating in the city.

The changes, under Calgary’s Livery Transport Bylaw, which governs the operations of taxi and rideshare companies, violate rider privacy, according to Uber spokesperson Keerthana Rang.

“This is an excessive overcollection of personal data, violating basic privacy principles,” said Rang.

“Calgary’s municipal government will require Uber and other rideshare companies to provide exact data, location, the latitude and the longitude for every rideshare trip, and this includes trips that start or end outside of the city’s own boundaries; it violates consumer privacy.”

The data would include latitude and longitude accurate to five decimal places, or about 1.1 metres. That level of detail is capable of pinpointing individual houses or landmarks.

“This could really expose travel patterns of people in Calgary and make it easier to identify riders, especially in a city like Calgary with low-density neighbourhoods,” Rang said.

University of Calgary Professor Tom Keenan, an expert in online security and privacy, says requiring that level of detail raises serious concerns.

“When geolocation data is this precise, it becomes almost impossible to anonymize,” Keenan said.

“This level of precision could compromise privacy, revealing sensitive trips such as visits to medical facilities.

“The problem is, when somebody has that data, if it’s very precise, and it’s linked to you, they can invade your privacy.”

Cory Porter, deputy chief of Vehicle for Hire with the City of Calgary’s public vehicle standards department, argues the changes are necessary for road planning, managing large events like conferences and the Stampede and passenger safety.

“This helps shape transportation models, environment impacts and also for major events, to make sure that we’re accurate for pickup and drop-offs, to make sure everyone has safe, reliable transportation,” said Porter.

“Uber, I believe, currently reports three (decimal places of location accuracy), and I believe that’s within an intersection. So that doesn’t really help for events like the Stampede, Chasing Summer, Country Thunder, where we want precise locations for pickup and drop-off, where we can set those rider pickup areas.

The city also wants rideshare apps to integrate a system allowing passengers to submit complaints directly to the city via 311.

“They report complaints, 311, complaints of serious nature, which involve Calgary Police Service also are reported to our office. So, we’re aware Uber does not have an office in Calgary,” said Porter.

“Their law enforcement review team portal is not in Calgary, so us as a regulator should know what our licensed drivers and licensed vehicles are involved in.”

The company claims such requirements are unnecessary, as it already provides trip data to law enforcement on request through its secure Public Safety Response Portal.

Uber said Calgarians expect their personal data to remain private and not be shared without explicit consent.

Other updates to the bylaw include extending vehicle age limits to 15 years and requiring accessible taxis to join the WAV Calgary platform.